A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry for the super duper long wait. Life... ya know? Anyways, here's the latest installment, hope you like it! ^.^
Hmm… what was it…?
Lavender? No…too flowery…
Maybe vanilla? No…too sweet…
Anna leaned forward in her chair and held her chin up with her arms, left elbow propped up against her lower thigh while fiddling with her phone in her right hand. She stared aimlessly in front of her, furrowing her brow in deep concentration. Somehow her left pinky wandered to her lips and she began to nibble on the nail while she lost herself in her thoughts.
Oh! Peppermint! Peppermint? Peppermint. Cool…refreshing…delicious – wait, what? Yup, yup. Definitely peppermint. Can't believe it took me so long, that's one of my favorite thi-
A loud cough surprised Anna, interrupting her thoughts. The cough was followed by a heavy clang as her phone landed on the hardwood floor, dropped during her initial shock. As Anna returned to reality, she looked in the direction of the sound and found Oaken clearing his throat, obviously trying to grab her attention.
"Ms. Walker?" A soft voice asked in front of her.
"Wha-?" Anna asked, confused, as she snapped back to see who was in front of her. As she turned, she caught a glimpse of Oaken's smirk. He always knew when she wasn't paying attention. Anna focused on the middle-aged woman before her. Crap! Wedding planner. That's right… Can't believe I've been wondering about Elsa's scent for the past ten minutes.
"Which arrangement would you like for the centerpieces?" the lady repeated. She gestured to the table beside her, on which stood several different flower arrangements in various vases. Some were plain, some colorful, some taller, some shorter, but in the end they all blended together in Anna's eyes.
"Errrrr," Anna blinked, trying to focus on the flowers before her while she reached down to grab her phone. "That one." She arbitrarily pointing to a bouquet of white and light blue flowers. Though originally chosen at random, the arrangement instantly grew on her as she noticed its finer details; the many different shades of blue and how they mixed in and contrasted with the soft white flowers, how the subtle green plants hide beneath the flowers and created the perfect backdrop, how even the vase held the collection and framed it perfectly.
The lady smiled, "Excellent choice, it matches your eyes!" Anna returned the smile, though still a little distracted. The wedding planner continued, "Well! I think that'll do it for today, we can meet again later to go over more details, okay?"
"Mmhm," Anna agreed, turning back to meet Oaken.
[one silent elevator ride later]
"So…" the large bodyguard started once they were back in the car, "what was that all about?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Anna said from the backseat. The bodyguard looked up into the rearview mirror and met her eyes. Anna quickly looked down at the phone in her hands.
Oaken chuckled and returned his gaze to the road, "Sure you don't. How's the phone?"
"It's…um…fine. Yeah, it's fine."
Oaken looked back up into the mirror. The girl was fiddling with her phone again as she looked out the window.
"Here's your dinner, my dear," a stout woman in green announced, walking into the grand dining room of the Walker Estate with two plates of food. The room contained a long rectangular dinner table, large enough to seat at least twenty. Anna was seated at the far end of the table, the last seat right before one of the two head seats. Though it was her right, the redhead never sat in the head seat – that's where her mother used to sit.
The servant went to place a meal in front of Anna, having to wait for the redhead to move her phone to the side. As the lady walked over to the seat opposite Anna's, she teased, "So we're using phones at the table now? Wish I brought mine." The servant took the seat across from Anna, greeting her with a smile. It was normal for the two of them to eat together; they did it all the time when Anna was younger, since her father was usually busy working. Even now, whenever Hans was busy, the woman would keep the younger girl company.
"Thanks for dinner, Gerda," Anna replied halfheartedly, resting her hand on her phone as she picked up a fork to start her meal.
"It was my pleasure, dear," Gerda responded, noting that the girl ignored her playful banter. She sensed that Anna was a little distant. Like Oaken, Gerda had known Anna practically her entire life and could always tell how she was feeling without asking. She practically raised the girl, so she definitely knew whenever Anna was lost in her thoughts, like now. She probably misses her fiancé. Hans has been gone a few days already…probably won't be back until this weekend or early next week.
"So, how is Hans doing?" the lady asked, noting how Anna kept fidgeting with the phone on the table while she ate.
The question made Anna freeze, forkful of food halfway to her mouth. She slowly lowered the utensil.
"Hans…? Um…" Oh gosh, I totally forgot. What the heck kind of fiancé am I?! Who doesn't think about their significant other at all the entire day?
"He's…um…he's fine," Anna finally replied, keeping her eyes on her food as she resumed eating. Guess I should call him later tonight. The redhead unknowingly nodded in agreement with her own thought. The act did not go unnoticed by the servant across from her. Gerda decided to drop the subject; she was never a fan of him anyways.
The remainder of dinner was consumed in silence, however when Anna finished, Gerda finally decided to ask her most pressing question.
"So…who's Elsa?" The woman watched the redhead intently.
Anna almost dropped her silverware as she struggled not to choke on her last mouthful. When she finally managed to get the food down, she squeaked out, "Wait, what?" Anna coughed and regained her breath, "How did you – "
"Oaken told me about what happened, hun," Gerda said, holding back a smirk from the girl's reaction.
"Um…well, uh…I don't know why he'd tell you about something like that," Anna gripped her phone defensively, "it's…uh…nothing important…. She's…um…she's just this girl. I mean, it was my fault for spilling all that coffee on her… so I'm practically obligated to buy her a new coat, right? I…like…practically violated her lap with my stupid clumsiness, it's the least I could do. I don't know why you people are making such a big deal about this, can't I be nice to someone without being criticized for it?"
"Mmmhmm," Gerda couldn't contain her smirk any longer. And with that, Anna quickly excused herself, still desperately clutching her phone as she retreated.
Anna stepped out of the shower and dried herself. She slipped into her silk paris green nightgown and stepped out of the bathroom into her bedroom, still drying her hair with her towel. The towel wasn't working too well; her wavy red hair was still damp to the touch. She made her way over to her queen sized bed. Gently sitting on the edge, she attempted to dry her hair with the towel once more, to no avail.
The girl realized the towel wasn't helping and sighed. She tossed the towel to the foot of her bed; it landed unevenly draped over the wooden footboard before slowly sliding over and falling onto the wooden chest that rested against the base of the bed.
Anna sighed again and slouched. A slightly damp lock of hair fell down into her face and she tried to casually blow it out of the way, but instead the redhead's attempts resulted in her sputtering hair from her lips. Anna finally ran her hands through her hair, parting the lock from her face. She eyed the brush on her bedside table, next to her phone, but decided against it. No matter what she does, her hair will always be a wild bush by morning, so why bother?
Giving up on her hair struggles, Anna looked over at her alarm clock. Sheesh…it's only nine…. If it was any other night, she'd still be wide awake, maybe scouring the kitchens for a chocolate snack or gazing at the moon and stars from the balcony, but today had been a long day that started way too early. She slowly crawled into her soft bed sheets, relaxing into her soft mattress and fluffy pillows.
She rolled over to turn off her bedside lamp and noticed her phone again. Anna nervously reached over and grabbed the device, slowly pulling it towards her. Coffee girl…. She scrolled through her address book until she found the absurd contact created by the blonde. Anna looked at the contact picture and shook her head, smiling.
A small knock on the door caused Anna to panic, hiding her phone beneath her sheets as if she did something wrong. "Yes?" Anna called out.
The door opened ever so slightly, allowing Gerda to poke her head into the room. "Hi deary, I was just wondering if there was anything else you needed before I retire for the night," the servant explained.
Anna shook her head, "Thanks, but I'm fine, Gerda, go get some sleep."
"As you wish, my dear. Sweet dreams," the woman said as she gently closed the bedroom door.
Anna stared at the closed door for a moment and smiled. Gerda was always looking out for her. She cared for Anna as if the girl was one of her own children. Anna suddenly remembered dinner, feeling guilty for her distance and unsociability during the meal. Speaking of the dinner…I'm supposed to call Hans… Anna scrolled further through her contacts to find her fiancé's number. She stopped once she reached his number, staring at the call button. Anna sighed. I'm always the one calling him…. She laid her phone on her chest and stared at the ceiling, while nibbling on her bottom lip.
After a moment, Anna nodded, as if agreeing with the ceiling's advice. She took a deep breath and picked her phone up, scrolling through her contacts. The redhead paused for a split second before pressing the dial button and nervously brought the phone to her ear, still biting her lower lip. Her right hand mindlessly clenched the bed sheets in anticipation.
One ring. A second. Another. One more. Once more – no, wait, it stopped. A brief rustling sound followed by a breath into the receiver. A few seconds of silence later, Anna heard a calm, gentle, "Hello?"
Anna froze. The word floated through her mind as effortlessly as dandelion fluff in the wind. The farther it traveled, the further it paralyzed her. No words escaped her throat; her jaw was clenched so tightly, any harder and her bottom lip, still between her teeth, would start bleeding. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, practically shaking the entire bed. The knuckles on her right hand were turning white as her fingers held the sheet in a vice grip. She could feel her palms getting clammy; soon she'd have trouble holding the phone to her ear.
What the heck, Anna?! Pull yourself together! People talk on the phone all the time, there's nothing weird about this. What else did you expect to happen? Come on, Anna speak! Don't ruin this! If you don't say anything, she'll think you're weird. Wait, wait. No, um, never mind, she doesn't even know it's you. She won't know unless you say something! Maybe you should just hang up. She won't know. Yeah, um, do that. Hang up now. Wait, wait, no, don't do that. She's already here. Just say something. Anything. Anything you say is better than this. Clock's ticking, come on Anna. Stop wasting her minutes; she probably needs them to talk to her other friends. Just make it quick. She's waiting. Any longer and she'll definitely think you're weird, no pressure though. You got this girl. Come on, let's do this. Ain't no thing like a chicken wing, Anna. Speak. Just speak. Why aren't you speaking? Do you even know how to speak?
Anna finally breathed in deeply. She felt a small tingle in her nose. After a brief moment, she slowly exhaled, feeling the sensation growing.
"Er…um…" Anna stuttered, "uh…ah…ah…" Oh god, please no…no, no, no! "AAAACHOOOO!" The redhead let out one of the loudest and unladylike sneezes she ever sneezed. Right into her phone's receiver. Right into Elsa's patiently listening ear. Oh my god, oh my god, what the heck Anna? Why did you have to sneeze now?! Jesus, Anna, why can't you ever greet her normally? Why must you be so difficult?! Ugggggghhhhhh.
Anna covered her face in shame with both hands, still holding the phone so that it was smashed against her nose and cheek. She groaned in agony.
Suddenly she became aware of the muffled giggling coming from her phone and quickly brought it to her ear to confirm her suspicions. Elsa...she...she's laughing at me…. Her glare burned into the ceiling above, as if it would reach Elsa through the phone line. Anna opened her mouth, about to chastise the blonde who was STILL giggling, but the woman quickly regained her composure.
– "Um," Elsa let out another giggle, "Bless you."
– "Ugh…" Anna sighed, extremely embarrassed, "Thank you…"
Anna waited a moment, then suddenly realized she didn't properly introduce herself.
– "Oh! Um…. Hi. I…um… I'm Anna…. We, uh… we met earlier today…" Anna cringed as she replayed the incident from that morning, still hoping the blonde was okay with everything.
– "Ahhh…of course! How could I forget?" Anna could visualize the woman' smirk through the phone. She glared at the ceiling again, then sighed, relaxing, and finally smiled.
[earlier that day]
The apartment door slowly opened.
"Fiiiiiinally!" a familiar voice exclaimed from within. Elsa instantly regretted returning to her place so soon after enjoying her remade breakfast. God, I can't get a damn minute to myself… why the fuck is he here? She slowly entered the room, noticing that Kai was also present, sitting with Kristoff at the dining table typing away on his laptop. Elsa turned to close and lock the door, taking a deep breath before turning around.
"Good morning Kai," Elsa stated with a fabricated smile, ignoring the other man completely.
"Morning to you as well, Agent Frost," Kai cheerfully returned, amused at Elsa's deliberate jab at Kristoff. He quickly returned to his typing. The blonde woman continued going about her day as Kristoff watched in awe of his newfound invisibility.
"Wooooooow," Kristoff droned. Elsa took out her phone, but paused. What am I thinking? It's way too early for her to call; we just met a couple hours ago. She shook her head and proceeded to pick up a copy of the day's newspaper before sitting on the couch, placing the phone on the coffee table. The burly man continued, "That's cute Frosty, ignore your amazing team member."
Elsa opened the newspaper and nonchalantly replied, "I'm not ignoring Kai," concealing her smirk behind the paper as she pretended to read.
"Ugh," Kristoff pouted, "totally set myself up for that one…." He shifted in his seat, watching Elsa read. After a moment he realized she wasn't planning on saying anything else, so he brought up a new subject.
"Soooo…that Walker girl seems nice…" he commented in the most suggestive tone he could muster, eyeing the blonde to analyze her reaction.
"Her name is Anna," Elsa replied indifferently. Her face gave nothing away; her eyes remained glued to the newspaper. She turned the page, and then looked up to meet Kristoff's watchful gaze, "And she is nice." Elsa turned back to the paper in front of her before continuing, "She's our mission, Kristoff, that is all." Elsa snuck a quick glance at the phone sitting before her. That is all…
Kristoff chuckled nervously to himself, unsure of what to make of Elsa's comment. He decided not to dwell on it.
"Oh!" Kai blurted out, causing the other two to jump slightly. "I informed Mrs. Jones of our progress, just thought you should know." He resumed his typing.
Elsa let out a sigh of relief. Fuck yes, I don't need to talk to that woman. "Perfect. Good work Kai," the man nodded, still focused on his laptop.
"So what's the plan now?" Kristoff asks.
Elsa replied, "We wait."
Kristoff waited for the blonde to elaborate, but she remained silent. "Er…and after the wait…?"
Elsa let out an irritated sigh; she felt like a parent having to deal with a child who loved asking questions about everything. She closed the newspaper and put it on the coffee table beside her phone. "We wait until she calls. When she calls, we'll make plans or something, then I'll work on getting closer to her. I'll gather intel on Walker Enterprises and keep an eye out for anything. It's simple, really."
The stocky agent processed the information. "But what if she doesn't make 'plans or something' with you?"
"She will," Elsa deadpanned. She has to... The blonde reopened the newspaper and continued reading.
Kai's typing slowed down and after a few seconds he stopped altogether. Several mouse clicks later, he closed his computer with a sigh of relief and stood up. "Alrighties Agent Frost, we'll leave you to it."
"Awww come on Kai… we were having so much fun…" Kristoff complained as he watched the man pack up his computer equipment.
"Bye Kristoff," Elsa declared, gleaming with anticipation of the idiot finally leaving.
The big male pouted as Kai started leaving. The techy turned around before departing, "Let us know when any new developments arise."
"Naturally," the blonde replied, still reading her paper. She listened to Kai's footsteps as he walked out the door. She heard Kristoff grumbling to himself as he reluctantly stood up and left as well. "Later Frosted Flakes," he muttered before closing the apartment door behind him.
Elsa continued reading the newspaper and listened for several seconds. Once she was sure the two men were gone, she folded the paper and tossed it onto the coffee table with a sigh. Her eyes are drawn to her phone yet again and she picks it up. Even before the blonde checked the screen, she knew Anna hadn't called yet. Cautiously she looked at the phone, which confirmed her suspicions.
"Ugh…" Elsa put the phone down. For fuck's sake, why am I being so impatient? It can normally take several days until the target makes contact. This is just another mission.
She stands up and paces around her living room searching for something to occupy herself. After a few trips around the place Elsa was still no closer to finding something to entertain her. She gave up and plopped into a chair at the dining table.
The table was cluttered with the mission files, all of which she had seen before. She looked around the table and stopped. Sticking out under a pile of other folders was a personnel dossier. She slowly reached out and grabbed the file, gently sliding it out from under the stack as if she was afraid it would crumble to pieces if she handled it too roughly. But this wasn't any random file; it was the dossier of Anna Walker.
Elsa grasped the top cover of the folder in anticipation, knowing full well what awaited her. She gently opened the file and laid her eyes upon the adorable face-stuffing girl in front of her. As she stared at the picture, a sigh of content unconsciously escaped the blonde. The sound interrupted Elsa's trance. Wait, what? The fuck am I doing? God, Elsa, get your shit together. She quickly shut the file and shoved it away from her.
Now again left with nothing to do, Elsa looked around the room, then dropped her head and sighed. She tried to think of something to do, but for some reason her thoughts were scattered at the moment, making it difficult for her to brainstorm ideas. As she attempted to think of something to entertain her, Elsa finally noticed the coffee stain on her coat. Guess I should change…
She made her way out of the living room, paused, then turned around, walking back over to couch where she left her phone. Elsa checked the phone as she picked it up. Nothing new, of course. With a sigh, she left to change out of her coffee-stained clothes.
The apartment door slowly opened. Elsa cautiously entered and let out a sigh of relief when she was certain the place was unoccupied. She closed the door and put the package on the table. After checking her phone for the hundredth time and sighing for the hundredth time, Elsa put the device down and got ready to eat.
The blonde gently sat down and removed her take out meal from the plastic bag. She paused before opening the box and looked at her apartment again. The room seemed…bigger, more spacious. It just felt…empty.
"Ugh…" Elsa exclaimed, pushing the thoughts from her mind. Fuck this shit. Why is this day going by so damn slow? She grabbed her phone to check the time – 5:30pm. Fuuuuuuuck… The agitated agent took a deep breath to calm herself. Once her nerves were pacified, Elsa picked up the plastic utensils and began to eat, trying hard not to succumb to her thoughts, but attempting to waste more time by chewing slowly.
Half an hour later, though it seemed like an eternity, Elsa finally finished the last bite. She packed up the trash and threw it away, then proceeded to wash her hands. While she rinsed off the soap, Elsa's phone rang. Oh shit! The blonde practically jumped when she heard the sound, shattering the thick silence of the apartment. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…. Elsa scrambled to rinse and dry her hands and sprinted to the dinner table, snatching up her phone after a few rings.
The blonde rushed to answer, not bothering to check the caller ID. Oh shit…what do I say? Fuck…. She took a deep, shaky breath, "Hello?"
– "Hey Frosty!" An all too familiar voice greeted her. You've got to be shitting me.
– "Goddammit Kristoff, what the fuck do you want?" Elsa spat, severely annoyed after realizing who it was.
– "Woah! Calm down girly…. Sheesh…. Me and Kai were actually gonna invite you to grab some dinner with us, but I don't know anymore…"
Elsa sighed, relaxing slightly. Guess that was a little harsh…
– "Thanks Kristoff," the blonde started, strangely feeling genuinely appreciative of the bumbling idiot, "but I already ate. Maybe another time."
– "What the heck? Why would you eat so early?" Kristoff asked. Elsa shrugged, then remembered the man couldn't see her.
– "I don't know… I was hungry, I guess."
Hardly the truth. The blonde always ate dinner early. There are usually less people crowding cafes in the early evening. Elsa hated crowds.
– "Awww, Goldie…" the man on the line complained, "Ugh. Fiiiiiiine… Byyyyyye…"
– "Laters."
Elsa hung up the phone. She scoffed at herself. Why the hell did I want to get food? At this time? With those people? She shook her head, shaking away her idiocy. Wait, what was I gonna do…? The girl looked around trying to remember. Oh. Right. Nothing… Elsa sighed.
Elsa exits the bathroom in a big, loosely fitted shirt, drying her golden hair. She strolled over to the bedroom to check her phone. Still nothing. Another sigh. Well… She glanced at the clock – 8:30. Dammit, it's still early…. Fuck it, might as well sleep anyways. Maybe then this day will finally end. She crawled under the sheets and stretched, relaxing her body before reaching and turning off her bedside lamp. The girl closed her eyes and sank into the soft pillow.
"Ugh…" the blonde exclaimed. Why the fuck are these sheets so damn tight. Blind in the dark, she kicked aggressively at the blankets to loosen them up. Once she had some breathing room, Elsa relaxed again, exhaling deeply.
After a minute or two, the girl rolled over. She shuffled around to get comfortable. A few seconds later, she rolled back. Elsa shifted her head around to cozy into the pillow. Fuck it's cold… She pulled up the sheets and turned to her side to curl into a ball for warmth. What the fuck is wrong with me today? Elsa never got cold. She shifted again to get comfortable.
Her eyes snapped open in frustration. For fuck's sake! She angrily turned on the lamp. Of course I wouldn't be able to sleep now. Fuck. The blonde sat up in the bed and ran her hand through her hair, fixing it after her many twists and turns. "Oh!" Elsa had an idea. She scampered over to the living room and turned towards the bookshelf. Her right arm crossed her chest, propping up her left. Hmmm… She rested her head in her dainty hand, nibbling on her pinky in deep thought. Now what's the most boring book here…. That'll help me sleep.
She pulled off a thick book, practically a dictionary, on the history of France. This should do it. The blonde scurried off to her bed, quickly snuggling back up into the sheets for warmth. She opened the book and started to read. Oh wait. She leaned over to grab the reading glasses off the bedside table and grinned. First time I'm ACTUALLY reading today. Once her light blue, thin-framed glasses were sitting delicately on the bridge of her nose, the girl turned to the first page and began reading. Just as she finished the first sentence, her phone rang, interrupting her concentration.
Elsa closed the book slightly frustrated. Kristoff, I swear to god… She took her time retrieving the phone. Always disturbing me. Once she had the phone in her hand, Elsa considered just letting it go to voicemail. Little shit can leave a message… She looked at the caller ID – no name, just a random number. Elsa's eyebrows knitted together in short-lived confusion. Oh shit! Anna! Fuck how long has it been ringing? Fuck, what do I say? Shit, shit, shit, don't go to voicemail! Fuck. Elsa quickly accepted the call.
The blonde took a deep breath to compose herself. Showtime. After a few seconds, she spoke as calmly as possible, "Hello?"
Silence. Elsa sat in bed waiting, slightly confused. Did she hang up? She checked her phone. No… The blonde was about to speak again, but stopped when she heard a breath on the line. A stammering voice followed it.
– "Er…um…" Elsa smiled at the girl's nervousness, "uh…ah…ah…" Poor girl, she's so nervous…
– "AAAACHOOOO!" Elsa grimaced, quickly pulling her ear away from the loud noise. Did she just…? Elsa started giggling. Oh my god, she totally sneezed! The blonde shook her head, bring the phone back to her ear. Oh Anna, what am I ever gonna do with you… Elsa let out a few more laughs before quieting herself, still smiling.
– "Um…" Elsa started, unsure of how to tease the embarrassed girl on the other end, "Bless you." I'll save her the embarrassment...for now.
– "Ugh…Thank you…" the redhead replied. Elsa smiled; she could easily feel the girl's burning red cheeks through the phone. "Oh!" the younger girl continued, "Um…. Hi. I…um…I'm Anna…. We, uh… we met earlier today…." Elsa giggled at the reminder of the events that transpired earlier that day.
"Ahhh…of course! How could I forget?" Elsa replied. She paused and heard Anna let out a sigh. Smirking, the blonde teased, "It was such a… warm… meeting…"
"Oh gosh…. Um…yeah…I'm…um… I'm soooooo so sorry about that…" Anna apologized. Elsa giggled at the sweet girl's guilt and embarrassment.
"Awww…" Adorable. "I'm just teasing," Elsa laughed, "I'm completely fine! So, Ms. Anna… what can I do for you?"
"Oh! Um…yeah that's right, I…uh… I called you. Hah. Um…well I was just thinking… maybe we could go get you that new coat I owe you. You know...cuz the coffee and all…. Oh, right. Um, I was thinking we could go do that this Friday? I mean, if you're free and all. If you're not, it's totally fine. I'll completely understand. I mean, you must have lots of other things to do and I'm sure you don't have time to – "
"Anna," Elsa interrupted the girl's adorable rambling. This girl… She smiled and shook her head. "I'd love to. Friday is perfect."
"Oh!" Anna exclaimed, delighted. The girl clearly was not expecting her to accept the offer. "Great! Um…in that case…I'll, uh, see you then! Bye!"
Elsa barely returned the farewell before the redhead disconnected. Well that was… abrupt. The blonde laughed to herself. She placed her phone back on the bedside table, sighing. The woman remained sitting in bed for a moment smiling to herself before placing the history book and her reading glasses next to the phone. She reached over and turned off the light before lying down. Resting her head on her pillow, Elsa let out another sigh. She looked up at the dark ceiling and smiled before closing her eyes. Today was a good day.